Fragmented Minds: Trauma, Mental Health, and Crip Theory in Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway

In this thesis, Fragmented Minds: Trauma, Mental Health, and Crip Theory in Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, I examine the 20th-century concept of normalcy and, through the lens of Crip Theory, explore how disabled individuals were represented within that society. This study focuses on mental disabilities, particularly the trauma experienced by those who lived through the aftermath of World War I. Through Virginia Woolf’s personal experiences and the fragmented narrative structure of Mrs. Dalloway, the alienation faced by individuals with non-normative mental states is revealed. Characters such as Septimus Warren Smith and Clarissa Dalloway serve as focal points for examining disability and societal expectations. By situating Woolf’s work within the contexts of Crip Theory and trauma studies, this research positions Mrs. Dalloway as a critique of ableist ideologies and an affirmation of the complexity of human experiences beyond conventional definitions of mental normalcy.